{"id":21385,"date":"2021-07-29T09:31:28","date_gmt":"2021-07-29T13:31:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.planetjune.com\/blog\/?p=21385"},"modified":"2025-06-18T17:36:33","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T21:36:33","slug":"planetjune-stories-cgoa-chapter-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.planetjune.com\/blog\/planetjune-stories-cgoa-chapter-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"PlanetJune Stories: CGOA Chapter Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today’s PlanetJune Story<\/strong> shows how easily you can brighten someone’s day with crochet. When Nancy Smith, the chairman for the Crochet Guild of America’s Chapter Challenge, contacted me in February to ask for permission for the CGOA to use my Love Hearts pattern<\/a> as a way for their members to give back to their communities, I never dreamt it would lead to such an amazing result!<\/p>\n

Let’s hear from Nancy:<\/p>\n

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The Crochet Guild of America (CGOA) is a national organization of local crochet guilds located in almost all 50 states of USA. CGOA also hosts a national conference called Chain Link held in different locations each summer that includes classes of various skills, stitches, and techniques, a Design Contest, a fashion show and banquet, and a ‘Meet and Greet’ to possibly sell your designs to publishers, yarn companies and\/or magazines. There is also a Masters Program which tests your skills in all aspects of crochet from stitches to gauge to finishing techniques. Be brave! Check it out!<\/p>\n

Each year, CGOA challenges the chapters to give back to their local communities by participating in the CGOA Chapter Challenge which selects a project for all interested chapters to make.<\/p>\n

Each project is selected with a particular need in mind. Past years have included chemo hats, preemie blankets, squares for afghans, and scarves. This year was a bit different since a lot of places were not accepting physical items due to COVID-19 protocols. But June Gilbank of Planet June came to our rescue by allowing us to use her Love Hearts pattern for the Challenge.<\/p>\n

\"PlanetJune<\/p>\n

The hearts could be distributed as a group project if there were places near each chapter that were accepting items, along with individual members passing them out to total strangers, family, friends, neighbors, hospitals workers, doctor offices, fire houses, etc.<\/p>\n

\"PlanetJune<\/p>\n

At first, members were kind of skeptical about the project, but some that handed the hearts out individually reported the results\/reactions back to their chapters, and the interest really took off. The smiles and reactions from the recipients were well worth the work!<\/p>\n

\"PlanetJune<\/p>\n

There were 12,798 hearts made for this Challenge! Besides being individually handed out, hearts were disbursed to an entire elementary school, to Meals on Wheels, to assisted living centers, nursing homes, animal shelters, special education centers, teachers for Teacher Appreciation Day, church meetings, and being attached to future donation projects each chapter makes.<\/p>\n

\"PlanetJune<\/p>\n

June’s pattern was fast and easy to make, and the chapters were told to use whatever yarns and hook sizes they wanted, which created a variety of sizes and colors besides the three sizes June has in the pattern.<\/p>\n

CGOA and its’ chapters send a big THANK YOU to June for so generously allowing us to use her pattern!<\/p>\n

For more information about CGOA, and possibly starting your own local chapter, here are the links:<\/p>\n